Vistec to supply army with $5 million system

WATERVLIET - "If you want to make a movie, go to Hollywood. If you want to work with nanotechnology, come to Albany," said Papken DerTorrossian, CEO of Vistec Lithography Inc. which announced Tuesday that they would be supplying the Army with a $5 million new electron beam lithography system.

This was the first system built entirely at the company's Watervliet Arsenal location since their move in November. The device was originally con¬tracted to be 29 nanometers, but the company was able to make even smaller versions of the system and the one shipped to the Army was 7 nanometers. A nanometer is a billionth of a meter and is about 1/100,000 of the thickness of a sheet of paper.

"The Army is getting a bar¬gain," said DerTorrossian who said his systems with high tech applications were priced between about $3 million and $20 million.

The 30,000 square feet of space leased by Vistec includes production space, modern offices, and areas called clean rooms where silicone wafers are created with lasers and imprinted with information. About 130 jobs were created at the nanotechnology facility which was once based in the United Kingdom. The company uses Building 125, a 90-year-old structure, and works with the UAlbany NanoCollege.

Advertisement

"This collaboration between Vistec and the Army Research Laboratory is important because it pr4ovides the Army with tools to conduct cutting edge research that will help enhance our national security," said U.S. Congressman Paul Tonko. "But this shipment is also significant because it repre¬sents the continuing growth of the nanotechnology sector in our region. Vistec is here because of the groundwork that has been laid thanks to the bold vision and hard work of many local leaders across all levels of government, academia, and pri¬vate enterprise. This is a part¬nership that has brought jobs to our region, enhanced the diver¬sity of our economic makeup, and helps keep the Watervliet Arsenal thriving as the nation's cannon maker and as home to a vibrant technology park."

The recent shipment was to the Army Research Laboratory in Adelphi, Md. to help the Army with advanced military devices and applications, offi¬cials said.

"The Arsenal is a great center of innovation, technology, and success," said state Assembly Leader Ron Canestrari, D-Cohoes.

Former U.S. Congressman Mike McNulty, a long-time sup¬porter of the Arsenal and the Arsenal Business and Technology Partnership, also attended Tuesday morning's press conference announce¬ment.

"Vistec's success at the Arsenal is just a glimpse of what the future holds for our entire region with the vigorous growth of the semiconductor industry," said Tony Gaetano, president of the Partnership which has helped bring nearly two dozen businesses to the Arsenal.